new view on summer

So it's now July 5 and I think about time I accept that this is what summer is here in Lappland. A really warm day is 20 C, which about 70 F. Coming from Montana and other places where it can get quite hot outside, I have yet to use the two pairs of shorts I packed. I'm beginning to think the space would have been better used for an extra pair of Carharts. The last couple days have, however, warranted chacos and a t-shirt, at least for part of the day. I've adjusted to falling back to sleep at 3 am with the sun blazing through the windows and I've now adjusted to the fact I just might not wear a t-shirt and shorts at the same time in 2010.

Thunderstorms and heavy downpours of rain have been occurring almost daily and it always reminds me of home somehow. I have now built 11 dog houses, which the dogs happily enjoy when the sky opens up with buckets of rain. The World Cup is coming to a close soon, but the Tour de France is picking up, with stage 2 already complete. On one hand, it's nice having these great sporting events on throughout the day and evening. On the other hand, watching Tour stages for 4 hours every day can really cut into your work time.

I pulled out an old bread machine yesterday and made my first loaf following directions in German and using Swedish ingredients. It would have been awfully confusing had I not done it before. If you're looking for some summer time reading, take a look at All the Little Live Things by Wallace Stegner, North to the Night by Alvah Simon, A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn or The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. The first two I've read and enjoyed. The last two I'm in the middle of and highly recommend.

Guess that's it for now. I realize no one probably reads this on any kind of regular schedule (cause I don't have a regular schedule for posting), but it seems any time I don't post for more than a week, I get an email from someone asking why I haven't posted anything. So if I'm posting, there's either something interesting going on or I'm just bored. If I'm not posting, then there's either nothing interesting going on or I'm too busy. So there you have it. Stay tuned, but not too closely...